GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — Be Safe, a community-driven campaign to raise awareness about the local resources for victims of domestic violence, is celebrating its first anniversary and sharing its success as Domestic Violence Awareness Month kicks off.
To assist the campaign’s mission in its second year, Brown County is donating $50,000 while Bellin Health is donating $10,000 to help continue Be Safe’s marketing campaign.
“These grant dollars will allow the Be Safe campaign to continue its marketing efforts and help connect more victims of domestic violence with the help they need,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach. “We see the positive impact the campaign is having in the community and Brown County is happy to support Be Safe through this grant.”
Chris Woleske, executive vice president of Bellin and Gundersen Health System and the Bellin Region president, announced the $10,000 gift during a Tuesday morning news conference. She said Bellin was excited to support the campaign, which is making a positive impact in Brown County.
“Domestic violence is a persistent yet often overlooked and deeply problematic reality in our communities. It knows no age, race or socioeconomic boundaries, and it can affect anyone — female, male or non-binary,” she said. Domestic violence is “a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted solution, and that is what we have in Be Safe.”
Launched last October, the Be Safe campaign created a hotline number — 920-212-SAFE — that connects callers with the trained advocates at Golden House. To promote Be Safe, digital and social media advertising strategies were deployed, along with the use of billboards and posters by project implementers with Golden House and O’Connor Connective.
Golden House Outreach Manager, Marissa Heim, says the increase in funding will help expand Be Safe’s advertising and campaign materials in different languages such as Spanish, Hmong, and Somali.
Since the launch of the Be Safe campaign, the number of calls to Golden House has increased by 26%.
“A lot of people know Golden House as a shelter, but we also offer outreach services,” said Heim. “That includes crisis counseling, safety planning, resources for housing, we also offer mental health therapists here on staff in addition to our support groups, and we also have prevention education.”
Golden House’s higher call volume comes at the same time as the Green Bay Police Department is seeing an increase in domestic violence arrests and charges, said Police Chief Chris Davis.
“In 2022 from Jan. 1 to the end of September, we had 318 cases. In that same period this year, we had 330 cases. We also saw more people being charged and an increase in the number of charges,” he said. “Domestic violence is not decreasing in our community. Rather, as our statistics show, the problem is growing.”
Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain said his department sees the impact of domestic violence on the community daily. So far this year, the Sheriff’s Department has had 134 domestic violence calls and 497 charges with a domestic violence enhancer.
“One in four women and one in seven men in Brown County are impacted by domestic violence in their lifetimes,” he said. “Those are staggering numbers.”
The Be Safe campaign’s website — 920212SAFE.com — provides additional information and resources, and includes a private way victims of domestic abuse can connect with the team at Golden House.
